For anything under 30 degrees (excluding windchill) here is my basic setup (kansas city winter setup):
-Under Armor base layer short sleeves
- Regular Bibs
- Regular cycling top with arm warmers or under armor long sleeve base layer (lighter weight)
- Gore Oxygen SO Jacket
- Pearl Izumi Elite thermal barrier tights (they are pant cut not bibs)
- Pearl Izume Elite barrier shoe covers
- Any performance cut wool sock (go to bass pro shops/academy and try different ones on until on fits well with your shoe
- balaclava- pretty much any work and a lightweight beanie of some sort
- Ski Goggles for under 25 degrees (it looks stupid but is one of the best things i have ever done)
- no helmet (controversial but i don't care, it is much easier to layer on your head that way)
- Gloves-lobster tails with liners-that way during a ride you can take the lobster tails off and just use the liners
What i like about this setup is that you can change it according to your needs. You can remove a base layer or take the tights off and just add knee warmers is it starts to warm up.
For racing (i did a lot of that this year well under 20 degrees) i will just use a traditional cold weather glove (not lobster tail) and just leg warmers with the bibs-no heavy tights. I will also just have one baselayer under the jacket since you will start to warm up very fast. I still use the ski goggles if its really windy or very cold.
-Under Armor base layer short sleeves
- Regular Bibs
- Regular cycling top with arm warmers or under armor long sleeve base layer (lighter weight)
- Gore Oxygen SO Jacket
- Pearl Izumi Elite thermal barrier tights (they are pant cut not bibs)
- Pearl Izume Elite barrier shoe covers
- Any performance cut wool sock (go to bass pro shops/academy and try different ones on until on fits well with your shoe
- balaclava- pretty much any work and a lightweight beanie of some sort
- Ski Goggles for under 25 degrees (it looks stupid but is one of the best things i have ever done)
- no helmet (controversial but i don't care, it is much easier to layer on your head that way)
- Gloves-lobster tails with liners-that way during a ride you can take the lobster tails off and just use the liners
What i like about this setup is that you can change it according to your needs. You can remove a base layer or take the tights off and just add knee warmers is it starts to warm up.
For racing (i did a lot of that this year well under 20 degrees) i will just use a traditional cold weather glove (not lobster tail) and just leg warmers with the bibs-no heavy tights. I will also just have one baselayer under the jacket since you will start to warm up very fast. I still use the ski goggles if its really windy or very cold.